As the first deliverable in its planned
suite of IP-ecosystem tools, the Fabless
Semiconductor Association (FSA)
has released version 3.0 of its Hard
Intellectual Property (IP) Quality Risk
Assessment Tool. The tool collects
information about an IP vendor, its
design methodology, and the IP family
under evaluation to develop a risk
assessment profile across seven criteria:
IP design, integration, verification,
process technology, product documentation,
reliability, and test.
The latest version includes several
enhancements that improve ease-ofuse
and increase communication for
integrators and vendors, as well as
foundries. For example, a custom
questionnaire permits vendors to add
questions pertaining to specific IP.
The integrator completes those questions
and can weight specific factors.
This benefit facilitates vendor communication
to integrators about a specific
IP family.
There's also an "answer verification"
feature, which comprises a filter
added to the Hard IP summary
page so an answer can be verified.
With it, vendors and integrators with
long-term relationships can add a
yes/no confidence level, reflected in
a risk profile.
Further, the FSA has collaborated
with Chip Estimate Corp. to enable
vendors to upload their "risk profiles"
to Chip Estimate's IP portal. In addition,
Chip Estimate users may request
a vendor's risk profiles or ask a vendor
to use the risk-assessment tool to
complete a profile for their IP.
The Hard-IP Quality Risk Assessment
Tool is now freely available. To download
version 3.0 and view an online
demonstration, visit the FSA Web site.
Chip Estimate Corp.
www.chipestimate.com
Fabless Semiconductor Association
www.fsa.org/IPecosystem